• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2009

Objectives : Thyroid function is associated with psychiatric disturbance such as mood symptoms, cognitive functions, anxiety and sleep problem. We evaluate the effects of thyroid dysfunction on negative symptoms of schizophrenia, mood symptoms and somatic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Methods : Sixty five patients with schizophrenia were recruited. The patients were classified into two groups; the patients with the history of abnormal thyroid indices level(group of abnormal thyroid function) and the patients without the history of normal thyroid indices level(group of normal thyroid function). At baseline and 8 weeks later, psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms(SAPS), and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Somatosensory Amplication Scale(SSAS). Results : During 8 weeks, there were significant differences in the changes of SANS, BDI, SSAS between group of abnormal thyroid function and group of normal thyroid function. Compared to group of normal thyroid function, group of abnormal thyroid function showed greater reduction of the scores of SANS(23.3%), BDI (19.6%), and SSAS(16.2%), respectively. However, there was no significant correlation between the scores of SANS, BDI, and SSAS. Conclusion : Our study suggested that abnormal thyroid indices would predict the prognosis of negative symptoms, mood symptoms, and somatic symtpoms in patients with schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-40
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• 2002

Cancer is the second leading cause of the death in Korea. Family caregivers of dying patients manifest many psychological and physical symptoms of stress, and they often seek for informational support from health care providers. Unfortunately, however, few systematic studies identify the actual effect of such support on family caregivers. This study, thus, intends to evaluate the effect of informational support for hospice care. One group pretest-posttest design was used, employing the stress-coping model by Cohen and Wills as a conceptual framework. This research was conducted from July 1 to November 15, 1998, initially with 32 subjects sampled from hemato-oncology department of two general hospitals in Seoul, but reduced to 18 at the end due to the untimely death of patients or caregiver's refusal during the course of study. Informational supports were programmed to provide the family caregivers with 8 times of education and counseling as well as 24-hour hot-line for 4 weeks. A booklet that explains the various problems of hospice care was also prepared and distributed to all subjects. Data were collected by using self-report questionnaires and reviewing medical records. The tools used in this study were based on the Weinert's PRQ-II(scale of perceived social support), Spielberger's state anxiety inventory, and CES-D. Also included in the data collection were the general characteristics of family caregivers and patients, and the pain intensity and the performance status of patients. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon sign rank test and paired t-test using SPSSWIN program. The results of the study were as follows: 1.The perceived social support of family caregivers was not significantly increased with informational support for hospice care(t=1.64, one tailed p=.060). 2.The anxiety of family caregivers was significantly reduced following informational support for hospice care(t=3.48, one tailed p=.002). 3.The depression of family caregivers was significantly reduced following informational support for hospice care(t=-2.18, one tailed=.022). 4.The pain intensity of patients with terminal cancer was significantly reduced following informational support for hospice care(t=-2.41, two tailed p=.027). The results suggest that the informational support provided to family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer reduced not only their anxiety and depression but also the pain intensity of patients. Further study is necessary to consolidate the conceptual framework of this study with expanded number of subjects. Nevertheless, it was certain that the informational support program for hospice care was very helpful to both caregivers and patients. Thus, the informational support program is strongly recommended for the hospitals which have no hospice unit yet.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.550-561
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for the improvement of the working environment for health prevention and related countermeasures for shift workers. This study was conducted based on the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), which analyzed the health effects of shift work forces and compared them with preceding studies. Methods: By analyzing secondary rates using raw data from the 5th KWCS, 4,870 (9.7%) of the 50,184 total study subjects were divided into shift work and 45,314 (90.3%) non-shift work groups based on the response to shift status. Variables that could affect work health issues were identified and corrected. A cross-analysis was conducted to examine demographic characteristics (gender, age, and education level) of the workers and occupation characteristics (monthly net earnings, employment type, occupation, working period up to now, workplace scale, type of work system, and weekly working hours). In order to find the work health issue ratio between the shift and non-shift work groups, logistic regression was analyzed and the association with health problems according to shift type by gender was looked at through cross-analysis. Results: According to the surveys conducted from the 1st KWCS (2006) to the 5th KWCS (2017), the proportion of shift workers continued to increase. Also, muscular pains in the lower limbs (hips, legs, knees, feet, etc.) (OR=1.135, 95%CI 1.031-1.251), headaches, eyestrain (OR=1.580, 95% CI 1.428-1.748), anxiety (OR=1.715, 95% CI 1.402-2.099), difficulty falling asleep (OR=1.391), and other problems (OR=7.392) were reported. In addition, back pain, muscular pains in shoulders, neck and/or upper limbs, muscular pains in lower limbs (hips, legs, knees, feet, etc.), headaches, eyestrain, depression, anxiety, overall fatigue resulted in significant results for both male and female shift workers. Depression and anxiety were higher in female shift/circulation compared to males. Conclusions: The social nets for the health and safety of shift workers should be explored in a variety of ways, including management and supervision of shift sites, attempts to reorganize and improve the shift system, development of workers' health recovery programs, promotion, systematic treatment, and compensation systems.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2000

Objectives: This study was performed to examine the characteristic cardiovascular response patterns associated with the imagination and discussion of anger-provoked events in patients with hwa-byung. Methods: Forty-three female patients with hwa-byung were evaluated with the Korean version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression just before the task. Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) and Vividness of the event (VIVID) during the imagination and discussion of the event were evaluated immediately after tasks. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) during baseline, rest, and tasks were also evaluated. Results: Both startle and recovery responses of BP, startle response of HR, SUDS, and VIVID in discussion task were significantly larger than in the imagination task. Conclusion: Results suggest that it is undesirable for the patients to excessively and repeatedly recall and talk about the anger events.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2020

Objectives : Acute low back pain syndrome causes pain and poor quality of life. There are various studies of SBV (Sweet bee venom) pharmacopuncture, but few have identified the therapeutic effects for patients unable to walk due to acute back pain. This case series report three cases of acute low back pain syndrome treated with SBV pharmacopuncture combined with Korean Medicine (KM) treatments. Methods : Three acute low back pain syndrome patients with no other acute abnormalities in the imaging were treated by KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and physical therapy. The improvement of symptoms was evaluated using Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability Index (ODI), EuroQol-5 dimension index (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Results : Patients who were unable to walk due to acute back pain were able to walk. There were significant improvements of NRS, ODI, EQ-5D and EQ-VAS after treatment. The patients experienced an average 90% decrease in low back pain after inpatient KM treatment for about 8 days. NRS decreased by an average of 78.9%, ODI decreased by an average of 49.4%, and EQ-VAS increased by an average of 92.6%. In the case 1, EQ-5D decreased in all categories, but in the case 2, it decreased in all categories except for pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, but in the case 3, it decreased in all categories except anxiety/depression. There was no serious side effect after treatment of SBV pharmacopuncture. Conclusions : KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture may be effective for acute low back pain syndrome patients. However, randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to confirm the clinical effects of these interventions.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.251-263
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review the clinical research trends in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean medicine (KM). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Google Scholar and five Korean databases through May 2019, for studies on KM to treat PTSD. Clinical research that conducted KM treatment of PTSD patients were included. Two researchers independently conducted study selection and data extraction process. Results: Totally, eight studies were included in this review. Types of traumatic events that patients experienced included physical violence/threatening, traffic accidents, sexual violence and personal tragic events. KM interventions performed included acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, physical therapy, and KM-based psychotherapy. Treatment duration varied from two days to more than five months. Follow-up began at least one week to three months after the end of treatments. It was reported that the major psychological and/or somatic symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and musculoskeletal pain, subjectively improved, as well as other objective outcomes: Impact Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hwabyung Symptoms/characters, Electroencephalography (EEG) change, etc. Statistical studies were conducted in three studies only. Outcomes such as Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), BDI, and IES-R-K showed statistically significant improvement after KM treatments. There was no study reporting adverse events during or after the interventions. Conclusions: According to this review, diverse types of KM treatments have been used among PTSD patients in eight studies. The KM treatments effectively improved psychological and somatic symptoms of PTSD patients. However, the lack of high quality research as well as the lack of standardization of KM treatments for PTSD are limitations. Further methodologically robust clinical trials should be performed, and the standardization of KM treatments for PTSD should be sought.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 2024

Objectives: To compare symptoms and characteristics among patients diagnosed with Hwabyung according to their yin-yang personality types. Methods: A structured clinical interview was conducted to diagnose Hwabyung, followed by a cross-sectional study involving a total of 118 Hwabyung patients (95 females). Various measures including the Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Hwabyung Comprehensive Test (HCT), HwaByung Scale (HBS), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Eogul Scale (ES), and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) were administered. Results: SPQ-total showed significant negative correlations with HBS-personality and STAXI-control, and a significant positive correlation with STAXI-out. SPQ-behavior showed significant positive correlations with HBS-symptom, STAXI-trait, STAXI-in, STAXI-out, BDI-II, BAI, ES, and PHQ-15. SPQ-cognition exhibited significant negative correlations with HBS-personality, STAXI-control, and ES. SPQ-emotion had significant negative correlations with HBS-personality and STAXI-in and a significant positive correlation with STAXI-out. SPQ-Yin demonstrated a significantly higher HBS-personality than SPQ-Yang. SPQ-Yang exhibited significantly higher STAXI-out than SPQ-Yin, whereas SPQ-Yin showed significantly higher STAXI-control and STAXI-in than SPQ-Yang. Although differences in depression, anxiety, resentment, and physical symptoms between yin and yang were not statistically significant, variations in interpretation criteria were observed. Conclusions: Anger expression patterns and physical/psychological symptoms among Hwabyung patients are different based on their yin-yang personality types. These findings can inform the prediction of symptoms in Hwabyung patients according to their yin-yang personality types and aid in establishing appropriate treatment plans.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2014

Objectives The current study investigated the putative relationship between chronotype and suicidality or bipolarity in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Method Nineteen outpatients who met the criteria for MDD according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-text revision were recruited for the current study. The subjects were divided into two subgroups based on their Basic Language Morningness (BALM) scores (dichotomized according to the median BALM score). The Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials (LDAEP) was evaluated by measuring the auditory event-related potentials before beginning medication with serotonergic agents. In addition, K-Mood Disorder Questionaire (K-MDQ), Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) were applied. Results The K-MDQ, BSS, BHS, BIS score was higher for the eveningness group than for the morningness group. However, the LDAEP, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores did not differ significantly between them. There were negative correlations between the total BALM score and the total K-MDQ, BSS, and BHS scores (r=-0.64 and p=0.0033, r=-0.61 and p=0.0055, and r=-0.72 and p=0.00056, respectively). Conclusions Depressed patients with eveningness are more vulnerable to the suicidality than those with morningness. Eveningness is also associated with bipolarity.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.340-350
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing social adaptation of chronic mental illness. The subjects of this study were 190 patients, over the age of 20 with chronic mental illness diagnosed by a physician, and living in Seoul, Korea during May, 2000 to December 2000. The instruments for this study were the social adaptation scale by Wallace (1979), the self-esteem scale by Rogenberg (1965), social support scale by ParkJiWon (1985), coping behavior scale by Shirley Zeitlin (1978), self efficacy scale by Sherer et. al (1982), and Rand mental health inventory(1979). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The level of social adaptation showed moderate (M=3.43). 2. The social adaptation showed significant positive correlation with self-esteem (r=0.39, p=0.00), self-efficacy (r=0.31, p=0.00), social support (r=0.47, p=0.00), self-productive coping (r=0.14, p=0.05), self-flexible coping (r=0.22, p=0.00), environment-active coping (r=0.21, p=0.00), and environment-flexible coping (r=0.14, p=0.04). The social adaptation showed significant negative correlation with anxiety (r=-0.16, p=0.02), and emotional problems (r=-0.18, p=-0.00). 3. The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor of social adaptation was social support (21%). A combination of social support, depression, behavioral controllability, self-efficacy, and environmental coping behavior accounted for 39% of the variance in social adaptation in chronic mental illness. From the results of this study, it is suggested to develop and apply a social adaptation training program for chronic mental illness.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.182-195
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• 2003

Background: Marriage is one of the major life events and the primary source of individual happiness and meaning of life. It is not possible to predict who will marry whom and which marriage will be successful. Marital adjustment has significant influences on an individual and relationship functioning and is associated with mental health. Good marital quality may imply good general relationship. There are several factors that correlate with or predict good marital quality. Especially individual personality factors may be a major factor in achieving and maintaining marital stability, satisfaction and happiness. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between dyadic adjustment and personality dimensions in urban married women. Methods: Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered to 215 married women. Data analysis was based on 170 women who provided reliable informations. The descriptive statistics of demographic data and 4 scales were obtained. Then the possible relationships between each data were tested by calculating Pearson's product moment correlations. To test the effects of depression and anxiety on dyadic adjustment, stepwise multiple regression analysis was done. Results: Age and length of marriage were negatively correlated with affectional expression and dyadic cohesion. Educational level was positively correlated with total dyadic adjustment score and dyadic satisfaction. Family income was positively correlated with total dyadic adjustment score, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction and dyadic cohesion. Different family type showed different total dyadic adjustment score, dyadic satisfaction and dyadic cohesion. Psychoticism was negatively correlated with total dyadic adjustment score, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction, affectional expression and dyadic cohesion. Neuroticism was negatively correlated with total dyadic adjustment score, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction and affectional expression. Extraversion and lie were not correlated with any factors. Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores were negatively correlated with total dyadic adjustment score, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction, affectional expression and dyadic cohesion. The result of multiple regression analysis indicated that psychoticism was correlated with dyadic adjustment. Conclusion: These results showed that the demographic factors such as age, length of marriage, educational level, family income and family type were significantly correlated with dyadic adjustment. Psychoticism and neuroticism measured by Eysenck Personality Inventory were significantly correlated with dyadic adjustment. But the correlations with extraversion and lie were not significant. Especially correlation between neuroticism and dyadic adjustment seemed to be mediated by emotional state such as depression and anxiety. These findings suggest that personality factors may be involved in marital relationship and that clinician must consider personality aspect in dealing with marital problems. Future study about differences between control group and psychiatric patient group will be needed.